Commander heading straight to Gold Cup

Imperial Commander will head straight back to Cheltenham in a bid to reclaim the Betfred Gold Cup following his fine effort in the Argento Chase.

The 12-year-old went agonisingly close to making a triumphant return when he was caught in the dying strides by Cape Tribulation on Saturday, in his first race since he was pulled up in the Gold Cup some 680 days earlier.

Trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies reported the 2010 Gold Cup hero to be in fine shape on Sunday morning and is looking forward to another crack at the blue riband in March.